BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 22. Uzbekistan plans to
open a trade house in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan
Region, as part of efforts to expand commercial ties and create new
opportunities for Uzbek exporters and investors.
This was refected in the statement published by the Chamber of
Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan following discussions held
during a visit by Uzbekistan's Ambassador to Iraq, Ayubkhon
Yunusov, to the Erbil Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where he
met with the chamber's chairman, Ghaylan Haji Said.
The talks followed a recent visit to Uzbekistan by a government
and business delegation from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, during
which the two sides agreed to deepen trade and economic
cooperation.
According to the chamber, the proposed trade house in Erbil
would serve as a platform for showcasing and selling Uzbek-made
products while facilitating business contacts between companies
from both sides.
"The trade house will play an important role in promoting and
marketing Uzbek products in the Kurdistan Region," the chamber said
in a statement.
During the meeting, Yunusov said the Uzbek government is
creating favorable conditions to strengthen cooperation with
businesses from the Kurdistan Region. He noted that efforts are
underway to encourage Uzbek companies and investors to participate
in joint projects and international exhibitions aimed at expanding
commercial partnerships.
For his part, Said welcomed the initiative, describing the
planned trade house as a practical outcome of agreements reached
during the Kurdistan delegation's recent visit to Tashkent.
He also expressed the chamber's readiness to provide Uzbek
companies and investors with the legal and logistical support
needed to establish operations and develop business activities in
the region.
According to the statement, the Erbil trade house is expected to
contribute to higher bilateral trade volumes by improving market
access for Uzbek products and creating a permanent platform for
business cooperation.
The project reflects Uzbekistan's broader strategy of
diversifying export markets and strengthening economic ties with
the Middle East. In recent years, Tashkent has increasingly
promoted the establishment of overseas trade houses to help
domestic manufacturers enter new markets, attract investment and
support non-commodity exports. Expanding commercial engagement with
Iraq's Kurdistan Region is expected to open additional
opportunities for trade, logistics and joint investment projects,
further broadening Uzbekistan's economic partnerships in the
region.
